Good Morrow
by T.M.K.06
Summary: An alternative ending for Tristan and Isolde in 4X13. You pretty much need to have seen the episode for this to make sense.
1. Chapter 1

**Good Morrow**

_I didn't like how Tristan and Isolde went in the episode, so I'm writing this to "end" it differently. Also there is no such thing as too much Old Merlin! Spoilers for 4X13, so if you haven't seen it and don't want to know, stop here. On second thoughts, if you haven't seen 4X13, this won't make much sense so you might want to stop here anyway. Goes off canon almost from the start – well, obviously!_

_Normal disclaimers apply, don't own Merlin etc…._

**Warlock in hiding**

Merlin was running with Gwen back to the throne room. He hoped that Helios hadn't come up with anything too sneaky and that Arthur's injuries hadn't stopped him from winning, and most importantly surviving. He knew that Gwen had the same fears as she sped through the halls. They burst into the throne room and stopped stunned! The briefest glance told them that though Arthur was alive and well, Isolde was beyond help. Merlin could see her still breathing but just barely. The way Tristan was holding her told him all he needed to know; if Tristan had given up hope there was none. Merlin didn't have time to think, he acted on instinct: he froze the others with a flash of gold from his eyes.

"What do I do, what can I do," Merlin tried to search his mind for something that he could use to heal her and damn the consequences, but there was nothing. He knew something about healing, how could he not after all these years with Gaius, but this was something you needed the Cup of Life for or… Or a Dragon! But he couldn't get Kilgarrah here now! And taking Isolde to him would take too much time… Unless… All these thoughts run through his mind in a matter of couple of seconds and suddenly he knew; he muttered a few words in the old tongue and unfroze everyone.

"What is this!" Tristan exclaimed as he saw a golden aura suddenly surrounding Isolde.

"Where did that come from?" Arthur pushed himself away from the pillar he had been leaning on and took a few steps closer.

"Is she…?" Gwen didn't dare finish her sentence as she got down on her knees next to Tristan.

"Not yet," Tristan replied. "She got wounded when she saved Arthur's life. I don't know what this glowing means."

"Let me see," Merlin said trying to sound confused and like a healer's apprentice at the same time.

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed as he suddenly realized that Merlin was back with Gwen. "Can you figure this out? Is it magic?"

"I can't imagine what else it could be," Merlin stated as he touched Isolde's lips to check if she was breathing, tried for a pulse and looked at her wound. "She seems to be breathing, though just barely. I can't find a pulse and her wound is not bleeding, but she isn't dead. I think she is in some kind of suspended state. She isn't dying but she isn't healing either. I need to consult Gaius or his books for this."

"But if it's magic, is it good or bad?" Gwen wanted to know.

"My guess would be that someone has given us time to figure out if there is anything we can do to save her," Merlin said.

"What could we possibly do to save her," Tristan cried. "You see the wound! Have you ever seen anyone recover from something like this? Have you ever even tried to treat a wound like this?"

"If this is what I think," Merlin replied cautiously. "Then I don't think I'm the one who is expected to treat this."

"You think Gaius could save her?" Gwen wondered.

"We don't even know if Gaius has survived Morgana's prison," Arthur sighed. "You mean someone else, don't you Merlin."

"I'd have to talk with Gaius," Merlin prevaricated as he stood up and stepped back. "But someone has already helped us. Somehow Morgana's powers were nullified for long enough for us to win; to get Camelot back. Someone is already helping us and I'm sure this, too, is his work."

"What if this Gaius hasn't survived?" Tristan asked barely allowing some hope rekindle in his heart.

"I'll have to think of something," Merlin said. "Unless there is already a plan in place."

"Merlin, you know the law," Arthur lowered his voice as he pulled Merlin a little to the side. "And I know Gaius trusts him, but I'm uneasy about this, about magic in general. You've seen what magic did to Morgana. And others. It corrupts! Think of Morgause! And what happened to Cendred."

"I understand sire," Merlin whispered back. "But since magic is outlawed in Camelot you haven't seen anything but dark magic, magical attacks against you, your Father and Camelot. But that is not all there is to magic. A king can use his power to benefit his people or to fatten his own purse. A skilled fighter can fight to protect or to destroy. Magic in itself if neither good nor bad, people choose for themselves how they use it. There are good people who use magic for good. If Gaius trusts him, then I believe so can we."

"He didn't do much good with my Father," Arthur reminded Merlin.

"I know," Merlin still felt the pain of his failure though he knew it was Agravaine and Morgana's doing. "But even magic can't save everyone."

"What makes him think he can save Isolde then?" Arthur insisted.

"I don't know," Merlin had to admit. "It's possible he can't. But he wouldn't have done this, risked being seen by you and being caught by either side of this battle if he wasn't sure there was something he could at least try."

"What are you two whispering about," Gwen called to them. "It looks like you are arguing about something."

"Just that I don't trust magic," Arthur admitted.

"So what do you suggest we do?" Tristan confronted him. "Can you lift this spell that is on Isolde? Or do you plan to put her on her funeral pyre even before she is dead? I don't know what the sorcerer who did this is planning to do, but I plan to stick by Isolde's side until I find out. And if I don't like his plans I will kill him. And if I don't like your plans…."

"You'll kill me," Arthur asked with a small smile.

"No," Tristan allowed. "She got wounded saving you. Whatever happens I will not let her sacrifice be in vain. But that doesn't mean I will let you decide her fate."

"Fair enough," Arthur accepted. "So what do we do?"

"We need to get the wounded together and treat them," Gwen stated. "I'll round up as many of the women I can and we set up an infirmary in the great hall. Isolde can rest there as well as anywhere. And Gaius will surely be there too, hopefully."

"No, I think it would be better if Isolde was taken to Gaius's chambers," Merlin inserted. "There is nothing we can do for her right now, so all she needs is a place where Tristan can watch over her. And where I can try and find some answers. Gaius was Uther's advisor on magic for years and he has a lot of books about magic in his library."

"I like that better," Tristan said. "Can you show me the way to the chambers?"

"Of course," Merlin replied turning to go.

"Wait, Merlin," Arthur stopped him. "What happened to Morgana?"

"We don't know," Gwen was the one to tell him. "I got into a fight with her and wasn't doing too well when the roof fell on her and when the dust settled she was gone."

"Just like last time!" Arthur exclaimed. "We won't even know if she is dead or alive."

"I think we better assume alive," Merlin sighed. "Just in case."

"Right," Arthur agreed wearily. "You take Tristan and Isolde to Gaius's rooms, Gwen will start organizing the infirmary and I'll round up the knights and we'll make sure we've got rid of all the intruders and see that all the wounded get to the women. And we need to find Gaius, who hopefully is still alive and well enough."

Everybody dispersed with their assigned tasks and Merlin led the way for Tristan who was carefully carrying Isolde. They made it to Gaius's chambers and Tristan lowered Isolde to the cot Gaius had there for patients. The place was something of a mess, but not as bad as Merlin had feared. Apparently Morgana had figured that Gaius's stores might come in handy so there had been no wanton destruction here.

"I'll go and see if I can find Gaius," Merlin said. "But it will probably be evening before he will come to see Isolde, unless he thinks there is something to be concerned about."

"I dare say there will be enough wounded men in need of immediate care for him to worry about," Tristan accepted. "Try to keep me posted."

"I will," Merlin said. "I'll try to come by as often as possible and I'm sure Gwen will come, too. We need to get to Gaius's remedies but neither will we forget about Isolde, I promise. Not after what she did."

"Good," Tristan moved a stool next to Isolde's cot and sat down. "I'll wait."

"The battle seems to be pretty much over, so I don't think there is any danger anymore, but have your sword at hand, just in case," Merlin cautioned before he left. "I'll let people know you're here, so they know what to expect if we need to send someone else for the supplies."

Merlin left Tristan to watch over Isolde and ran towards the great hall. He figured that Percival would have taken Gwaine, Elyan and Gaius there as soon as he got them out of the dungeons. With whatever other prisoners he might have found there. He just hoped they were all still alive and well. Or at least well enough given that Morgana would not have cared much for their well being, so any wounds they might have got during the invasion would not have been properly cared for. Merlin doubted she would have seen to their other needs either. That was no longer in her nature. And still, Merlin didn't believe it was her magic that had corrupted her; she had felt slighted and she had been afraid and all that had turned into bitterness and she had willingly given room for the darkness in her soul. Indeed, there was darkness in every man's soul, but there was light too and it was the light you needed to turn to and nurture. All these thoughts ran through his mind only half acknowledged as he made his way to the great hall. He didn't see any fighting on his way. Most corridors were empty and what soldiers he saw were mostly from Camelot and if there were any of Morgana's men around, they were prisoners or dead.

When Merlin reached the hall he saw Percival immediately and made his way to the cot he was standing over. As he got closer he found Gwaine and Elyan there as well, and as he had expected, Gaius was on the bed they were hovering over. Percival left them with a nod as soon as Merlin got to the bed; there were enough wounded around who needed to be moved and Gaius was now safe.

"Gaius!" Merlin exclaimed worriedly. "Gaius, how…"

"I'm fine," Gaius claimed though weakly. "Fresh air, some decent food and rest and I'll be right as rain in no time."

"That may be a little optimistic," Elyan muttered. "You were fading fast."

"But I'm out of the dungeons now and Gwen and Merlin will take good care of me," Gaius reassured him. "You and Gwaine kept me alive for long enough and I do thank you. But you can let others look after me now and get yourselves checked in turn. You two didn't do that much better under Morgana's care."

"I think you get much more co-operation from Gaius if you do as you're told and let Gwen check you out," Merlin told Gwaine and Elyan. "Gwaine especially looks like he has been in a tavern fight every night of the week and twice just yesterday."

"Morgana made him fight for our supper," Gaius told Merlin. "Or my supper, to be exact. Those two wouldn't eat. Mind you, it wasn't exactly a feast that she was giving us even then, but it was still food."

"So you were having the time of your life," Merlin observed dryly to Gwaine.

"Well, you must find what fun you can," Gwaine grinned at him. "And at least I was given a chance to fight back. Unlike Elyan." Gwaine's face turned grim as he remembered the state Elyan had been in when he was pushed into their cell.

"I suspected Elyan wouldn't have given our location to Morgana voluntarily," Merlin sighed searching Elyan's face with concerned eyes. "I'm glad you survived."

"I shouldn't have told her," Elyan felt ashamed for betraying his king.

"Elyan," Merlin turned to him and grabbed his shoulders. "Morgana knew that you knew where we were heading and she wanted that information. You never had a chance of keeping it to yourself because she would have stopped at nothing to get it out of you. I'm just glad you told her before she went too far. Though I do fear she went far enough as it was."

"Yes, she did," Gaius inserted. "I'm amazed Elyan lasted as long as he did, and survived it."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of," Gwaine insisted. "That snake or whatever it was she used on you sure was a vicious thing. You were barely alive and we feared for your sanity when they brought you to us."

"Stop blaming yourself," Merlin told Elyan. "You bought us enough time. We got to Ealdor, got a chance to rest and then we had an escape route through the caves nearby. Agravaine never had a chance of catching us."

"Yeah, that's a funny thing," Gwaine remembered something. "Agravaine and his men never came back from their hunt. I heard the guards whispering about it as I was being taken to Morgana the other evening. Most of the men had apparently been killed by a dragon, or so they assumed as they had all been burned to a crisp. And Agravaine and what few men had survived that attack were found in the caves dead. Without a mark on them, too. Just dead. There was talk about an even greater sorcerer than Morgana working against her."

"A dragon?" Elyan wondered. "Didn't Arthur kill the last dragon a few years ago? I'm sure I've heard Leon tell that story quite a few times. Even if there is another sorcerer who wants Camelot, where would he get a dragon from?"

"If Arthur killed a dragon, why isn't its head or hide on display somewhere in the castle?" Gwaine wanted to know. "Surely Uther at least would have wanted to do that. And I'm sure the Princess wouldn't have objected to the idea either. In fact, I'm surprised he didn't have boots made out of the hide!"

"The dragon didn't die immediately," Merlin said. "Arthur gave it a fatal wound and it managed to fly away to where ever it is dragons go to die."

"Are you sure it was a fatal wound?" Gwaine demanded. "What if it was just a bad wound and the dragon recovered?"

"Then why didn't the attacks resume," Gaius muttered from his bed. "The dragon was rather determined. Only a dragon lord could have kept him away and Balinor, the last dragon lord, died when he and Arthur and Merlin were attacked by bandits."

"Could a wyvern do something like that?" Elyan asked.

"It would need to be a pretty big wyvern," Gwaine said. "And they don't breathe fire, so no, not likely."

"As no eye witness survived," Gaius inserted his opinion. "It is unlikely we will find out what happened. Now, are you two going to get treatment for your injuries or do I have to spend what little strength I have left and make you?"

"We're going," Elyan accepted there was no help for it. "You just rest. We'll be back once Gwen has seen what she can do for us."

"Good," Gaius smiled at them. "Shoo and let Merlin take over for now."

Gwaine and Elyan finally left them alone. Merlin knelt down, next to Gaius and stared him in the eyes trying to see, if he had been lying when he said he would be fine.

"I didn't lie," Gaius told him. "I am weak. Dungeons are not the best places to spend a week in at my age and I am suffering from lack of food, but I will be fine. I promise."

"Good," Merlin accepted that Gaius was telling the truth. "I was afraid we wouldn't make it back in time."

"You did," Gaius reassured him. "Mind you, it did seem that we had outstayed our welcome, so it is a good thing you came when you did and not later."

"You mean Morgana had decided to execute you?" Merlin asked.

"That was what she implied the last time we saw her," Gaius nodded. "I think the people were less than willing to accept her as the queen, so she wanted to show them what happens to those who displease her."

"I still can't believe the change in her," Merlin mourned. "When I first came to Camelot, she would never have done anything like this. She would never have turned so completely against everyone who loved her."

"The seeds had to have been there even then," Gaius sighed. "I don't know what we could have done to change the outcome. Uther was the key and he was never going to dishonour Gorlois's memory by telling everyone that his beloved daughter wasn't his."

"Too bad he didn't honour his friend enough when he was alive," Merlin muttered.

"I agree with you there," Gaius said. "But what was done was done. We can't change that now."

"True," Merlin mused. "Some things just can't be remedied."

"Merlin?" Gaius narrowed his eyes at the boy. Something was going on with Merlin and if he knew the boy well, and he did, it wasn't something he was going to approve of. "What have you done now? And don't try to deny you have done something, because I've seen you like this before and I can read you like an open book. At least most of the time and this is definitely one of those times."

"Well," Merlin lowered his voice and looked around to make sure nobody was too close. "I did do something."

"Go on," Gaius prompted with trepidation.

"You see," Merlin wasn't quite sure how to explain this, but he decided to start from the beginning. "When we were running from Camelot, Arthur and I came across these smugglers who agreed to let us travel with them towards Ealdor."

"Smugglers?" Gaius raised his eyebrows at Merlin. "I'm sure Arthur had a thing or two to say about that."

"He did the next morning," Merlin revealed. "But when we came across them, he was still under the spell. And then the next morning we were attacked by Agravaine's men. Anyway, Arthur saved Isolde's life in the attack and she and Tristan agreed to come with us to Ealdor. Well, they didn't have any reason not to, as the goods were lost and most of their men were dead and the rest had just run away."

"Tristan and Isolde?" Gaius asked. "The smugglers were a couple then?"

"Yes. Anyway, long story short, they decided to join us in the battle against Morgana," Merlin went on. "I had bound Morgana's magic so she couldn't use it but there was still Helios. Morgana ran and Gwen and I went after her – she got away, by the way -, when we got back, Isolde was mortally wounded. She had saved Arthur but Helios got her with his last breath. I couldn't watch her just die so I…"

"You what?" Gaius narrowed his eyes at Merlin. And the dreaded eyebrow went up as well.

"I froze everyone for a second and then I put a spell on Isolde," Merlin confessed. "She is in stasis; suspended between living and dying."

"I see," Gaius glared at Merlin. "And what is your plan? Or do you have one? It is true that you can keep someone alive for days, even months in that state, but the longer it goes on the less likely it becomes that she will emerge from it intact. And it won't heal her. Once you remove the spell she will still be a few breaths away from dying. What did you think you were doing? Giving Tristan more time to get used to it?"

"No," Merlin tried to shush Gaius down because he was getting a bit too agitated for his present state of health. "Nothing like that. I just wanted a bit more time. I plan to take her to Kilgarrah tonight."

"What?" Gaius did a good job at yelling while keeping his voice nearly inaudible. "How do you plan to do that and still keep your secret. Any of your secrets."

"As you heard from Gwaine," Merlin stated. "There are already rumours about the dragon. Tristan and Isolde are in your rooms and I will take them to meet Kilgarrah tonight. Tristan is new here, so if an old man goes to him and tells him to bring Isolde outside for whatever herbs are too delicate to be preserved or whatever he has no reason to be overly suspicious. He will think it's you. If he proves difficult, I'll just use magic on him. As he won't know it's me, it won't matter."

"Might matter to me," Gaius growled. "If he accuses me of sorcery."

"Once he sees you he will know it wasn't you," Merlin pointed out. "We'll both be safe and Emrys will get the blame."

"And if Isolde is healed Tristan probably won't be too keen on retribution or law anyway," Gaius admitted. "It may work. Dragon's breath can cure almost anything. Or possibly absolutely anything. But will Kilgarrah do it?"

"I don't know," Merlin worried. "He knows the past and the prophesies and he can see some of the future, too. If he thinks healing Isolde is a bad idea, I won't make him. But I have to try this."

"You need a lot of luck to pull this off, you know," Gaius cautioned Merlin.

"I know," Merlin sighed. "But with the after battle chaos I have the best chance I can."

"I wish you luck in your endeavour," Gaius accepted that Merlin was going to do what he was going to do and there was nothing he could say to change the boy's mind. And he wasn't even sure he wanted to.

"Thank you," Merlin said. "Now I better start helping Gwen with the wounded and see to it that Tristan gets something to eat and won't feel we've forgotten about him. Arthur will probably need to be dragged in to have his injuries checked on, so I better see if I can find him, too."

"A servant's work is never done," Gaius smiled at Merlin.

"Don't I know that," Merlin smiled back. "Need to go now. And don't you move from there! I expect to be the bane of your life for a quite few more years."

"I expect you will be," Gaius declared as Merlin sped away from his bedside.

Merlin spent the rest of the day running around Camelot. He was helping with the wounded, both those brought to the great hall and those nobody wanted to move until Merlin – the stand in physician – had checked them. He looked in on Tristan and Isolde a couple of times and got, with great difficulty, Arthur to come and have his injuries treated. Finally all immediate tasks had been finished and he had time to think of his plan to heal Isolde. Though not that much time since it was early evening already and he needed to get Isolde to the glade soon, if he wanted to call Kilgarrah to her in the cover of the night. It was a moonlit night, too, but he knew that he could do something about that, as he didn't need to hide his magic once they got outside of the city walls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warlock in the open**

Tristan had been sitting with Isolde all day. He did pace a lot, too, but never far from her. Gwen, Merlin and Arthur had been by and a few servants had come and gone both to get Gaius's supplies for the wounded and to bring food for Tristan. They all had given him news about the goings on and he was fairly well informed of the after-battle situation in the castle. The servants had even had time to regale him with some gossip – including the story of Gwen and Arthur. He didn't believe all he heard, as he was in a position to know that stories tended to change in the telling, but he was fairly sure that the bare facts of the case were probably true: they had been engaged and Lancelot – an old suitor of Gwen's – had somehow managed to break them up. He might have found the story worth more speculation had he not been concentrating on Isolde. As it was, he just filed it away as something that might be of interest later.

It was early evening, or maybe not even so early, it was definitely getting dark outside, when the door opened and an old man barged in. He was carrying the medicine bag that Merlin had taken with him earlier on the day, so Tristan assumed he was someone who had been tending the wounded. In fact he seemed so familiar with his surroundings that Tristan was fairly sure he was the court physician Gaius. The old man put his medicine bag and its contents away with practised hands and then he came over to look at Isolde. He hmped a few times and tsked a couple of times but seemed satisfied with what he saw.

"Right then," this Gaius said to Tristan. "This is not the place where I can do anything for her, so we have to move. You carry her, I'll take a few things with me and then we'll go."

"Go where?" Tristan asked curiously. If you couldn't treat someone in the physicians chambers then where could you treat her.

"You youngster always ask so redundant questions," Merlin (as of course it was, disguised as Dragoon the Great) muttered, thoroughly enjoying himself – or he would have had his joints and bones not ached with old age. "Where we can do something about healing her, naturally. Silly boy. Now come on, we don't have all night."

Merlin took a couple of blankets, rolled them tucked them under his arm and then led the way outside. Tristan took Isolde in his arms and followed. They walked through some empty, out of the way corridors to a side door on the wall and stepped outside. There was a small cart waiting for them. It had clearly been used to transport the wounded as there was some hay and blankets in it softening the bottom. Tristan settled Isolde in the cart and followed the old man towards the woods. He wanted very much to ask more questions – like why they had so assiduously avoided the guards – but the physician was surprisingly fast on his feet given his age that, with Isolde first in his arms and now in the cart, Tristan was just about able to keep him in sight. He could, of course, have called out and refused to go any further without some answers, but they were hardly going very far (fleet he might be but he was still old) and surely he was match for one old man should he turn out to be a foe and not a friend. So, as this was about healing Isolde, Tristan was fine with following his elderly guide and seeing where they were going. He assumed that Gaius had arranged a meeting with the sorcerer who had originally put the spell on Isolde as that would also explain the furtive way they had left the palace. Magic was, after all, still illegal in Camelot and Arthur had expressed his concerns about the magic involved.

As Tristan had assumed, they didn't go very far. The castle was still well in sight when they reached a smallish glade in the woods. They were far enough to have privacy from any straying guard or a knight out for a night stroll, but close enough to be fairly safe from bandits or any of Helios's men who might have escaped Camelot. And Tristan did have his sword with him for protection, though he did hope he wouldn't need it. They stopped at the edge of the glade and the old man seemed to examine their surroundings in the moonlight. He led the way a little to the side and Tristan saw that there were some fallen trees there.

"We need to wait a while here," Merlin told Tristan. "It's not quite the time yet. We might as well make ourselves comfortable. You can prop the cart on this stump to keep it level and with some hay and these blankets we can sit comfortably on those fallen trunks. I'll make a fire."

Tristan did as his old companion told him and made sure Isolde was comfortable in her cart. He took some hay from the cart and turned to make a seat for himself. Merlin had already got some wood into a pile – there were plenty of small branches within easy reach near the fallen trees – and he lit them with a word and a flash from his eyes. Tristan saw him do it, and Merlin could feel his contemplative gaze on his back. After a short pause he could feel Tristan's sword on his back, as well.

"Careful with that thing," Merlin snapped at Tristan. "It's sharp and you could end up hurting somebody with it."

"That rather is the point of swords," Tristan replied sternly.

"Pun intended?" Merlin huffed as he flicked his hand and Tristan found himself on his backside on the ground. Merlin turned to look at him: "I didn't mean it would be me who got hurt. I assume you've finally figured out that I'm not Gaius?"

"Yes, I finally figured it out," Tristan glared at Merlin and tried to think of a way to get the upper hand.

"Get up, son," Merlin ordered. "You look ridiculous sitting on the ground. And put that sword away. You'll have no use for it. Even if you could kill me, and you can't, - trust me - , it wouldn't be the smart thing to do as I'm the only one who can help Isolde."

"You're going to help her then," Tristan asked.

"Yes, I'm going to help her," Merlin answered. "No thanks to you. But it would have been rather pointless of me to first put her on stasis to keep her alive until she could be healed and then not see to it that she does get healed. Total waste of a good spell that would have been."

"Fine then," Tristan got up and went to finish his seat. "I won't kill you if you help her."

"You won't kill me no matter what happens," Merlin muttered. "I already told you that. Now sit down and stop trying to be scary. It doesn't work with me."

"So what are we waiting for?" Tristan asked grumpily once he had settled down.

"We wait for Camelot to retire for the night," Merlin replied. "I'm not powerful enough to heal Isolde myself and he who is, is better off if nobody from Camelot sees him. Or maybe it's Camelot that is better off if he isn't seen. Anyway, we'll wait a little and then I'll call him here."

"So you're not a very powerful sorcerer?" Tristan concluded with a very small sneer.

"According to the druids I'm the most powerful sorcerer that has ever lived," Merlin laughed. "Or ever will. But that's just their opinion. I'm not so sure I believe it myself. Besides, if we are quite accurate, I'm not a sorcerer at all. I'm a warlock."

"And the difference is?" Tristan wasn't that interested, but what else was there to do but to talk with the man until he was good and ready to get Isolde healed.

"I was born with magic," Merlin shrugged. "I could move objects and light fires before I could walk or talk. Drove my mother crazy. It's a wonder she didn't just take me to the druids and be done with me."

"If you're that powerful, then why can't you heal Isolde?" Tristan wanted to know.

"Healing is not that easy," Merlin sighed. "Not when you need to bring someone back from certain death. I suppose I'm powerful enough to do it, but it is not the kind of magic I like to practise. There is always a price to be paid when you deal with saving a life that has already been taken. Even if you manage to do it before actual death."

"I'll pay any price for her life," Tristan vowed. "Anything you want."

"Then you are a fool," Merlin shook his white locks at Tristan. "And lucky that I won't accept your promise. You must never, ever tell a sorcerer – or even a warlock – that you will do anything or give anything to get your wish. Because that is exactly what will be expected of you."

"Why would that be wrong?" Tristan demanded. "I'd give my life for her! I can't imagine any price that I would regret paying for her."

"That's because you don't have imagination to speak of," Merlin explained. "If you gave your life for her, then you would condemn her to the pain you are feeling right now. Do you really wish that for her?"

"No," Tristan had to admit. "You are right. I would not wish this pain on her."

"Besides, you would not get to choose the life that would be taken," Merlin went on. "If I was on Morgana's side, I would accept your offer and take Arthur's life. And you might actually be fine with that choice, until you had to explain to Isolde how she is still alive and Arthur, whom she saved with her actions, is now dead. How well do you think she would take the news that her life was saved by exchanging it for Arthur's?"

"I'm not sure it would be a burden she'd be willing to live with," Tristan sighed. "So if I you're not exchanging her life for someone else's, then how are you going to heal her?"

"I'm not," Merlin said. "I already told you that. We are here so that I can call someone else to do the healing. He may refuse to do it, though, if he thinks it will upset the balance of life too much. But there has been so much death this past week that I don't think that will be a problem. Unless there is something in Isolde's possible future that will affect his decision."

"He is a prophet then?" Tristan didn't sound like he put too much faith on prophets.

"No. But he knows most prophesies that have ever been made," Merlin smiled. "And surprisingly many of us seem to have some kind of destinies. Though future is never quite set; destinies can change, the future can be altered. People do have free will, after all, and may choose not to do what is expected – either good or bad."

"How often do they do that?" Tristan's laugh had a bitter edge to it. "Especially not choose the bad."

"Don't have much faith in men, do you," Merlin decided. "But I suppose that is just to be expected."

"What do you mean?" Tristan demanded. "What do you know about me?"

"Nothing much," Merlin replied. "Just that I have met someone a bit like you before. You're not the kind of man who ends up leading a band of smugglers by choice. Not completely by choice, anyway. You have an air of disillusionment about you when you show your contempt for kings and nobility. It's not just the sort of mistrust all peasants tend to have for kings and landlords and such. It sounds more like you have been betrayed by your own kind. Also you wield your sword like a knight. There is a difference between those who have learned the skill out of necessity and on their way and those who have taken up a practise sword as soon as their hands are big enough to go around the pommel."

"Maybe I'm just gifted," Tristan suggested. "What is it to you anyway?"

"Nothing," Merlin shrugged. "Just an observation. Also we still have to wait a little while before I can call my friend and speculating about you kills some time."

"It's none of your business," Tristan ground out.

"I know," Merlin agreed. "I'm not asking. Just an observation."

"Fine," Tristan gave in after about five minutes. Merlin hadn't said anything, hadn't prompted the confidence in any way, he had just sat there, in silence tending to the fire but somehow the lack of expectation or demand or even visible curiosity did it for Tristan. This old warlock had an air of acceptance about him, like he would listen and care but wouldn't think any differently of you no matter what you told or chose not to tell. He was just there and Tristan felt he could talk. "My uncle is a king. He's my mother's brother. I suppose he is a fair enough as kings go, in fact I used to think he is a good king, but he has his vanities and blind spots."

"Who doesn't," Merlin agreed.

"Anyway, my parents died when I was young and I was raised by my uncle," Tristan continued. "I was trained to be a knight from early age as you surmised and I became his personal guard. I also acted as his emissary on several occasions. One of those occasions involved the woman he wanted for his wife."

"He wasn't married?" Merlin frowned. "Surely he was much older than you and would have wanted to ensure the succession."

"Yes, he is about two decades older than me," Tristan nodded. "But he just hadn't got around to it. He does have younger brothers who are married and have sons, so nobody was pressuring him to marry. But long story short, I fell in love with his intended. And she fell in love with me."

"Isolde?" Merlin queried.

"Yes," Tristan confirmed. "Isolde. The marriage was still being negotiated between my uncle and her parents when we came out with our news. Her parents were fine with her not marrying my uncle, but they were against her marrying me either, which was understandable and as much as we had expected. We had pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that it was unlikely we could ever have each other. But the idea of her being married to my uncle and us still seeing each other almost daily was not something we could contemplate. My uncle pretended to accept the news with good grace and I believed him until he tried to kill me."

"Kill you?" Merlin repeated. "What is it about uncles that they all want to kill their nephews?"

"Oh, yes, Agravaine was Arthur's uncle too," Tristan realised. "We have that in common then."

"You do indeed," Merlin stated. "Apparently your uncle failed as well."

"Apparently," Tristan verified. "But I got the message. I had to leave and Isolde wasn't going to let me be exiled alone so we ran. We were hunted but we managed to escape them. All the knights who had been my brothers in arms and now I was their number one enemy. For the first couple of years we couldn't stay anywhere for long for fear of being found out. And even after that, we needed to keep hiding. A smuggler's life seemed ideal under the circumstances."

"Sir Tristan of Cornwall and Lady Isolde the Fair of Ireland," Merlin said out loud.

"Yes," Tristan admitted. "That's us."

"The story I heard," Merlin pondered. "Was that you and Lady Isolde had accidentally consumed some wine that was laced with a love potion. That is actually the only part of the different versions that is same in all of them. Some say you tried to kill King Mark, some say Isolde deliberately gave you that drink, some say the effects of the potion wore off in time and Isolde returned to Ireland and lives in a convent and you roam the land as a wandering minstrel too ashamed to go back to Cornwall."

"Yes, I have heard those stories and many others as well," Tristan laughed. "So, what do you think, Old Warlock, are we in love because of a love potion?"

"I know 636 love spells," Merlin deliberated. "Some are potions, some are enchanted objects, over 150 of them need a lock of hair to work and some are just spells. None of them produce true love. All they do is cause an infatuation. That is powerful enough, of course, but it does wear off in time. No, what you two have has nothing to do with any spells or potions. It is magical, though."

"So now you know," Tristan concluded. "We are wanted criminals."

"Not in Camelot," Merlin pointed out. "Except for the smuggling, of course, but somehow I think the King will let that go."

"I don't actually care," Tristan stated. "I just want to be with Isolde for the rest of my life."

"Yes, we better do something about that then," Merlin declared. He stood up and turned to face the glade. "It is late enough, but a little too bright. Need to do something about that."

Tristan watched the old warlock with curiosity. Who was he going to call that needed total darkness? They were well hidden in the woods - nobody could see them from Camelot. The old man muttered some words and to Tristan's surprise clouds formed to hide the moon. Then he heard strange words shouted into the darkness; it took him a moment to realise it was the old man because the voice was so different and the words carried a power he couldn't quite associate with frail frame of his guide.

"Do not be afraid," Merlin told Tristan. "He is a friend."

"Who is?" Tristan wondered. Then he saw a shadow approach their little camp. At first he thought that another cloud was passing the hidden moon, but then he felt the breeze and something landed on the glade near them. Then there was a small thud and Tristan could see something pale, a very, very large seagull? settle on the ground. The clouds cleared a little and Tristan nearly fell off his log. Dragons!


	3. Chapter 3

**Warlock with dragons**

Tristan sprung upright, drew his sword and moved quickly next to Isolde. Nobody was getting to her, no matter how big they were and how much fire they were able to breathe.

"I told you he is a friend," Merlin snapped at him. "He is also our only chance of healing Isolde."

"A dragon?" Tristan demanded. "They don't heal people!"

"A dragon's breath can heal anything," Merlin stated. "And do a lot of other things as well. You don't need to fear him."

"Yeah, right," Tristan muttered. But as the dragon seemed calm and willing to just wait for the old warlock's pleasure he did put away his sword and moved a little closer to it. Or him.

"Greetings Warlock," Kilgarrah breathed. He tilted his head at Merlin examining the changes in his appearance. A smile appeared on his face: "Seems like more time than I thought has passed since we last met."

"Never mind that, Kilgarrah, we have company," Merlin pointed out. "And I see Aithusa came with you, too."

Tristan saw the "seagull" move towards the warlock. So, not a seagull at all but a young dragon, a white young dragon. The creature chirped and moved cautiously to the warlock who put out his hand and petted the baby.

"He wants to see everything," Kilgarrah smiled. "But why did you call? The battle is over and Arthur is back on the throne of Camelot."

"We still need help," Merlin gave Aithusa one last pat and turned his full attention at Kilgarrah. "Tristan and Isolde joined Arthur for the battle and Isolde got mortally wounded when she saved Arthur's life. I put her in stasis but that won't heal her. I need you for that."

"Isolde the Fair?" Kilgarrah asked. He turned his gaze on Tristan: "And you must be sir Tristan of Cornwall then. King Mark's nephew."

"What if I am," Tristan glared at the dragon belligerently.

"So hostile," Kilgarrah sounded amused. "To think that you will always be remembered as a lover."

"Can you help Isolde?" Merlin inserted. "Is there any reason why she couldn't be healed?"

"I think that is a rather moot point now," Kilgarrah observed.

Merlin turned towards the cart as did Tristan. When they had been concentrating on the Big Dragon, the baby had made his way to Isolde. Aithusa had settled on the stump the cart was resting on and was making distressed chirps. Tristan ran to the cart, but he knew better than to try and hurt a draggling when there was a big dragon breathing right behind his back. Merlin moved towards the cart, too, but before he got there Aithusa had drawn a deep breath and released the air over Isolde. The golden glow that had surrounded Isolde ever since Merlin had cast his spell disappeared and Isolde started to breath properly. Colour returned to her cheeks and Tristan could see how her wounds started to heal. After only a few breaths the mortal wound was gone and Isolde seemed to be sleeping normally.

"Aithusa!" Merlin exclaimed as he moved quickly to the white dragon. "You shouldn't do that. You are not old enough to judge the consequences yet."

"Is she …" Tristan didn't quite dare to voice his question.

"She is healed," Kilgarrah stated. "A dragon, even as young as Aithusa, can save any life."

"Why isn't she awake," Tristan demanded from Merlin who was examining Isolde.

"I think that is a lingering effect from my spell, nothing else," Merlin reassured him. "I meant to remove it before the healing, but Aithusa surprised me. She will be fine."

"You can trust the warlock," Kilgarrah affirmed. "And to answer the question that was asked before Aithusa made it redundant, there was no reason not to heal Isolde."

"Good to know," Merlin smiled. He then turned to Aithusa who was chirping guiltily and poking him with his head. "I'm not angry at you Aithusa. I know how you feel, I feel it too. Just try not to do it again."

Merlin gave Aithusa a forgiving pat and the little dragon seemed to cheer up a little, though it was difficult to tell if it was because of Merlin's forgiveness or because he felt the life coming back to Isolde. But whichever was the cause, he was happy to go back to Kilgarrah.

"If that was all, I think we need to be on our way," Kilgarrah concluded. "We are rather close to Camelot, after all."

"Thank you Kilgarrah, Aithusa, for you help," Merlin bowed slightly to them and the dragons took off. Once they had flown out of sight Merlin waved his hand and cleared the sky revealing the moon again.

"You didn't expect the white dragon to do the healing, did you?" Tristan asked. "Why did it do it then? What was the feeling you talked about."

"No, I wasn't expecting Aithusa to act like that," Merlin sighed. "Come, we better cover Isolde with the blankets now that my spell is no longer keeping her warm. I'll add some wood to the fire and then I can try to explain it to you. It is magic, though, so it may still make no sense to you."

"Yeah, after all I'm just a thick non-magical knight," Tristan muttered under his breath.

"Well, since you said it I do have to agree," Merlin smiled patronizingly.

Tristan gave him a dirty look but decided to hold his tongue for now. He covered Isolde with the blankets while Merlin put a few more small branches into the fire. Then they both settled on the logs they had been sitting on before the dragons.

"Aithusa is young, and his reactions are instinctive," Merlin was poking the fire with a stick while he tried to find the words to explain magic to Tristan. "And as dragons are creatures of magic, he reacts with magic. He also reacts to magic. Everything, every stick and stone and every living thing is connected to and with magic; it's like a silver thread that runs through everything. Even if nobody could access the power, it would still be there. Magic itself is neither good nor bad - nor is it particularly active but it does strive for balance. All changes in the net of magic create the flow of life; births, deaths, changes in destinies, everything. That flow is usually steady and most of the time I'm not aware of it. But when many die I can feel the change, the empty spaces. As a magical being Aithusa – and Kilgarrah too, naturally – is more aware of the flow than I and the emptiness is more apparent to him. Kilgarrah has lived several centuries now, so he is accustomed to the changes but Aithusa is feeling this for the first time in his young life and he only feels the need to somehow counter the emptiness. That was what he was doing: he felt the deaths so he felt the need to prevent more lives to be lost."

"So he healed Isolde," Tristan accepted. "Can't say I'm seeing anything bad in that."

"Fortunately there isn't," Merlin agreed. "However, it is never a light thing when you interfere with life and death and Aithusa doesn't know enough to estimate the possible consequences."

"What could possibly go wrong when you save someone's life," Tristan demanded.

"There was a time when I could have let Morgana Pendragon die," Merlin said. He lifted his gaze to look at Tristan who could see the sadness there. "I chose to save her."

"You couldn't have known what would happen," Tristan insisted.

"But I did know," Merlin told him. "I just couldn't bear the pain her dying was causing to those who loved her and didn't know what she would become. In the end, their pain was much greater than it would have been had she died when she was supposed to."

"You said people have free will," Tristan reminded him. "Seeing how loved she was could have changed her."

"That is what I hoped," Merlin sighed. "But it made no difference. Or only for the worse."

"Isn't she supposed to be a powerful sorceress?" Tristan asked suddenly.

"Yes," Merlin nodded. "And if you're wondering why she couldn't use her magic against Arthur and you, I visited her the night before and bound her magic."

"Oh, so that's what happened," Tristan said. "But no, that wasn't what I was wondering this time. Just that if she is a powerful sorceress, doesn't she feel the deaths?"

"I assume she does," Merlin stated.

"Then why is she so keen on killing people?" Tristan questioned. "Wouldn't she find it unpleasant?"

"Those who turn to the dark side of magic don't much care what the effect is, as long as there is one," Merlin groused. "It's the power that matters to them, the ability to cause a change, any change in the flow. And some like the feeling of emptiness in magic, as it matches the emptiness in them. Dark seeking dark."

"You don't like it?" Tristan guessed. "But doesn't it feel different when you save a life? The little dragon seemed to feel better after it."

"I like it better then," Merlin responded. It was surprisingly easy to talk as a stranger to someone who didn't know much about him even as himself. The quiet of the night and the hypnotising effect the flames also helped. "Performing magic is like a warm tingle most of the time, it just get's absorbed in the normal flow. But when you do something big, something that really affects the flow, it burns. In a good way, but it also feels like a warning that you need to be careful with magic. If you change the flow too much, there will be consequences. And I hate killing."

"Sometimes war is inevitable," Tristan pointed out.

"I know," Merlin agreed. "And I hate that too."

"You meant killing with magic," Tristan realised. "Not just battles and death resulting from that, you meant that you hate to kill with magic."

"And without it, as well," Merlin stated. "But especially with magic. I try to avoid it, but sometimes there is no help for it. Mostly I try to influence the outcome of a battle, like I did when I bound Morgana's magic but sometimes that isn't enough."

"The servants were whispering about a dragon who killed Lord Agravaine and his men," Tristan remembered. "And I have just seen that there indeed is a dragon. They also said that Lord Agravaine was found dead in the caves near Ealdor. The caves we used to escape him. Did you…?"

"I couldn't very well let them kill Merlin and then come after you all," Merlin shrugged. "That would have greatly altered the future of Camelot. And most definitely not in a good way."

"For an old man you travel far and fast," Tristan sounded suspicious.

"Have magic, will travel," Merlin laughed. "Or maybe a dragon."

"You travelled with a dragon?" Tristan was impressed. "He didn't seem like someone who would allow anyone to ride him."

"I have ridden him," Merlin said. "Not often, he is not a horse, after all. But sometimes it is necessary to travel far and fast and especially unseen."

"I don't know what to think of this all," Tristan had a hard time absorbing all the information he had received this night. "But at least Isolde is alive and well. And I thank you for that. If there ever is anything I can do for you, you only have to ask. Anything."

"What did I tell you about promising 'anything' to a sorcerer?" Merlin admonished him.

"Never to do it," Tristan replied promptly. "But I have a feeling that I can safely give that promise to you. And I do mean it."

"And you are still a very lucky man that I don't want anything," Merlin stated. "Now, Isolde seems to be waking up so it's time for you to return to Camelot."

"Us? You're not coming back?" Tristan asked.

"I was sentenced to death the last time I tried to enjoy the hospitality of Camelot," Merlin laughed. "I don't think anyone has overturned that sentence and as I rather like my head right where it is, I think I'll make my way to my own home now."

"How am I supposed to find the way back?" Tristan frowned. Sure he could see the castle and on his own he would have just walked towards it, but with Isolde and the cart – he wasn't going to let her walk this soon after her injury no matter what magic had been used to heal her – the woods between them and the castle were a bit of a problem.

"You'll find your way," Merlin reassured him. "Merlin will be waiting for you at the side door."

"How would he know to be there!" Tristan exclaimed staring at the old man who was putting out the fire and quickly cleaning their little camp.

"I have my ways," Merlin responded and just walked into the woods melting immediately into the shadows.

Tristan stared after him in frustration. Just great! Not that he doubted his ability to make it to the Castle but even so, this was just so annoying. He turned to check on Isolde, who was indeed stirring, and he saw a blue orb of light hovering in front of the cart. He blinked, but there it remained.

"Fine, so we have a guide," Tristan thought. He leaned over Isolde and whispered to her: "Easy, my love. You are recovering from a bad wound and I need to get you back inside. Just rest there and let me do the work."

"I feel strange," Isolde said. "And I'm sure we're not supposed to be here. I… This is confusing."

"I will tell you all about it tomorrow," Tristan promised. "Just go back to sleep for now. I'll wake you when we get back to the castle."

"If you say so," Isolde muttered as she drifted back to sleep.

Tristan shifted the cart off the stump it had been resting on and started to follow the glowing orb. It didn't take him long to get back to the side door they had exited through as the orb lighted his way even better than a torch and he found that Merlin was indeed waiting for them at the door. The orb had disappeared just before they got to there.

"Is she healed?" was Merlin's first question.

"Yes, she is fine," Tristan answered. "I just need to get her inside"

"Good," Merlin smiled delightedly. "Just follow me then. You can leave the cart there."

Tristan lifted Isolde in his arms, though she sleepily protested that she could walk, and carried her through the corridors back to Gaius's chambers.

"Bring her in here," Merlin led the way to his own room. "Gaius is sleeping in the great hall with all the other patients so I can take his bed and you can have mine. Sleep as long as you want. I'll put some bread and some fruit on the table for you before I leave in the morning. When you feel up to it, come to the great hall to find me and I'm sure Gaius, too, would like to make sure Isolde is fine. Anyone can direct you to the hall, so just ask."

"Thank you Merlin," Tristan said as he settled Isolde on the bed. "For all your help."

"You helped us," Merlin replied. "We owe you more than just this. Now, try to get some sleep. This has been an eventful day and though tomorrow may be less eventful, it won't be any easier. It's the clean up time!"

Tristan laughed at Merlin's dramatics but also felt somehow comforted. Tomorrow life was going to resume some semblance of normalcy. And he still had Isolde. Yes, it was time to rest.

Much later the next morning Tristan and Isolde emerged from Merlin's room. Merlin was apparently long gone, but the promised bread and fruit were waiting for them. They ate and then decided to find the great hall as Merlin had instructed.

"We can go later if you need to rest," Tristan worried. "Or I can go alone for now. I'll come and get you later in the afternoon."

"I'm fine," Isolde scolded him. "I don't need a nurse. I'm fine. Totally healed though you still haven't told me how. If you leave me here alone, I will start climbing the walls. I'm all better and raring to go."

"Very well then," Tristan gave in. "Let us find Merlin then. And I want that court physician to look you over, too."

"I'm fine," Isolde nearly snapped at him. "Just lead the way. You, after all, have some idea where we are. Don't you?"

"Yes, dear," Tristan responded and led the way.

They had hardly got out of Gaius's chambers when they met a servant who was only too happy to direct them to the hall. When they walked in through the door they saw a very busy place with a lot of patients being taken care of by a lot of women. An old man, they presumed Gaius, was seated near the centre of the room and he was clearly the one who everyone went to for advice. Merlin was changing the bandages of a dark haired knight who was sitting on a bed with a dark skinned knight who was sipping something – apparently vile – from a cup. Arthur was there, too, talking with them all. As Tristan and Isolde got nearer the dark haired man said something that made Arthur glare angrily at Merlin – who didn't seem too disturbed by it.

"You told me I had killed it," Arthur yelled at Merlin.

"I said that you had dealt him a mortal wound," Merlin corrected. "And I believed it. And for all we know you did. If it wasn't a mortal wound, why didn't he come back once it had healed? He wasn't exactly brimming with good will towards Camelot. Which is hardly a surprise after your Father had kept him in a dark cave for two decades!"

"So how do you explain the rumours?" Arthur demanded. "How do you explain that Gwaine heard Morgana's men say that Agravaine and his men were killed by a dragon?"

"First of all we don't know if anyone actually saw a dragon," Merlin insisted. "Secondly, even if there is a dragon we don't know it's the same dragon. For all we know there was a dragon lord who was smart enough to go hiding with his dragon when your Father started his purge."

"Then why didn't this dragon lord offer his services to Morgana?" Arthur wanted to know.

"By the same logic, if there is a dragon and it is the Great Dragon that your Father kept a prisoner why didn't he join Morgana?" Merlin asked.

"Possibly they don't care who is on the throne of Camelot," Arthur suggested. "Maybe they just hate Camelot."

"Or maybe they don't," Merlin countered. "Maybe they like Camelot and think you are the rightful king."

"What would a dragon or a dragon lord know about that," Arthur dismissed.

"They couldn't possibly know less about it than you," Merlin sniped back. "Clotpole!"

"Idiot," Arthur threw at Merlin before he turned to leave and came face to face with Tristan and Isolde. He took a moment to adjust but his smile was genuine: "Good to see you two. And thank you for your part in the fight, especially you Isolde. I am grateful to you for saving my life and very glad to see you healed."

"I owed you," Isolde pointed out. "You saved my life. And it seems someone has saved it again. Tristan hasn't yet told me who and how, though."

"Yes, I would like to know that myself," Arthur turned questioningly towards Tristan. "I understand you went somewhere during the night?"

"Yes, I did," Tristan spoke slowly trying to find the right words. "But I can't tell you how Isolde was healed, because I don't know. I don't remember."

"Don't remember?" Arthur wondered.

"Yes," Tristan didn't know when he had decided to lie, but he felt sure that it was the right decision. He didn't know Arthur well enough to be willing to tell him about the dragons and the warlock. Arthur had been raised to hate both and though Tristan was sure he wasn't and wouldn't be as fanatic about it as Uther had been, there was still no way of knowing how he would react. "I remember sitting with Isolde alone, late in the afternoon or possibly early evening thinking that I need to find some candles to light and then the next thing I know is that I'm in a glade in the woods, with Isolde laying in a cart, healed and waking up."

"You have no idea how you got there?" Merlin exclaimed.

"None," Tristan insisted.

"How did you find you way back?" Arthur asked.

"There was an orb of blue light hovering near and beckoning me to follow," Tristan couldn't quite put his finger on it, but Arthur seemed to react a little strangely to his words. "It led me straight back to a side door to the castle where Merlin was waiting for us."

"Merlin?" Arthur turned to question his servant.

"When I got back to my room there was a note there saying that I should go to the side door round midnight to wait for them," Merlin shrugged. "I reckoned I better, so I did."

"So once again, nobody saw anything or anyone who could explain what happened?" Arthur demanded.

"Not that I remember," Tristan confirmed.

"Just great!" Arthur growled. "I never get any answers. Fine, so be it. I have more important things to do now." And he stormed out of the room.

"Never mind him," Merlin dismissed Arthur. "Right, these guys are Elyan and Gwaine, you didn't meet them before because Morgana had thrown them in the dungeons. You can meet them properly later. For now, you better come with me as Gaius wants to see you both."

Merlin didn't physically pull them towards the old man at the centre of the room, but he might as well because Tristan and Isolde followed him meekly.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all, for the reviews, and Vuurvlieg, nice to see you here, too =) _

_I don't know if I will write more Merlin stories – I always start to write "just this one". We'll just have to wait and see if the mood strikes again. There will be one more chapter to this story (I think) and I hope I'll get it done this week-end. I was going to post a chapter a day, and this was supposed to be the last one, but it ran away with me and I didn't get quite where I wanted, but I hope I'll get the last one posted this week-end. Thank you for reading._

**Warlock's family**

"Why did you lie to Arthur?" Isolde whispered to Tristan as they walked.

"Please, don't ask," Tristan answered seriously. "If you do, I will tell you, but it would be better if as few as possible know."

"Why?" Isolde gave him a suspicious look. "What did you do or promise in return for my health?"

"We'll talk later," Tristan told her as they got nearer to Gaius's bedside.

"No, we talk now," Isolde insisted and stopped right there. "What did you promise!"

"I promised anything," Tristan revealed. "I said I'd give anything to have you back. I'd give anything, do anything to keep you."

"So what was the price?" Isolde dreaded the answer.

"Nothing," Tristan said. "Nothing at all was expected in return."

"What?" Isolde was astonished. "But surely…"

"I may be old, but I really am not deaf," Gaius inserted suddenly from his bed. "If you are talking about what I think you are talking about, then you can believe him. There would have been no price."

"But I was dying," Isolde insisted. "Only magic could have saved me and who has ever heard of a sorcerer who asks for nothing in return for something like this. I don't know much about magic, but bringing someone back from the brink of death is no small thing."

"You are quite right my dear," Gaius affirmed. "From what I heard you were definitely dying when someone cast a spell on you and suspended you between living and dying. And now you are healed. I know of only one who could do that, or indeed would."

"The sorcerer Merlin and Arthur were talking about when we were wondering what had happened," Tristan nodded.

"Yes," Gaius said. Then he raised his eyebrow at Tristan: "But Merlin just told me that you claimed that you remember nothing? So how do you know nothing was asked of you?"

"I… Sudden return of memory?" Tristan ventured.

"You can speak freely to me," Gaius reassured him. "I've been protecting my friend for years. But I know him well. I'm curious why you decided to protect him after just one meeting."

"He saved Isolde," Tristan stated simply.

"True," Gaius nodded. "But even so you could have told Arthur everything you know, because there is no way you could possibly have learned enough to put my friend in any danger. He is surprisingly capable of taking care of himself. As our knights Leon, Percival, Elyan and Gwaine could tell you if you could get them to talk."

"Well, it's not just him who could get into some trouble," Tristan glanced at Merlin.

"If you're worried about me," Merlin smiled. "Don't be. I'm always in trouble especially with Arthur. I don't think I'd know how to be if I wasn't. And Arthur surely would think the world is coming to an end."

"You and Arthur," Isolde pondered. "You don't behave like a King and a servant. You're more like friends or even brothers. Yet you are so different in many ways."

"We've learned to deal with each other," Merlin shrugged. "Especially now that he isn't such a brat anymore. Which reminds me; I better go and see if I can do anything about making his room habitable. Given that Morgana expected to be the queen of Camelot and live in this castle she and her men sure did a good job of wrecking the whole place."

Gaius, Tristan and Isolde watched Merlin hurry out of the hall. Tristan shook his head in puzzlement: "I really don't get those two."

"Do not worry," Gaius comforted him. "Very few do. But now I want to take a look at you Isolde, my dear. Even if you have been cured with magic you have still been through a lot these last couple of days, so sit down and let me see."

"I really am fine," Isolde insisted but she did sit down next to Gaius who proceeded to check her state of health. "But I still want to know for sure that Tristan didn't do anything stupid for me."

"Of course he did," Gaius stated flippantly. "But nothing you need to worry about. My friend is completely loyal to Camelot and understands honour and loyalty in others as well. Even if Tristan has given him his word that he will do whatever is asked of him to repay the debt, my friend will never ask him to do anything dishonourable. I know you don't really know me, but trust me anyway: you have nothing to worry about when it comes to this particular warlock. And Tristan, you don't need to worry about Merlin. He, too, is capable of taking care of himself and he has dealt with Arthur for a number of years now. Though it may not seem so at first glance, those two truly are friends."

Once Gaius had checked Isolde and was happy that she was indeed well and had suffered no lasting harm, Tristan and her left him to oversee the treatment of other patients. While they had been busy with Gaius, Leon had come into the hall and gone to talk with Gwaine and Elyan. Tristan and Isolde decided to join them.

"Isolde!" Leon exclaimed. "Wonderful to see you. I was told that you were at death's door."

"I certainly was," Isolde confirmed accepting a quick hug from Leon. "Now I'm not. And Tristan can't even tell me how that came about."

"Tristan here told the princess that he doesn't remember what happened," Gwaine explained gleefully.

"Princess?" Tristan was puzzled.

"The King," Elyan clarified. "Gwaine has this thing about nobility and though he'd die for Arthur, like we all would, he likes to pretend disrespect."

"Hey! It's no pretence," Gwaine insisted.

"Really?" Leon asked. "And who was it who stayed behind with Gaius to buy Arthur time to get out of Camelot?"

"Oh, that," Gwaine dismissed. "I did it for Merlin, of course."

"He would, you know," Elyan pointed out. "And for Gaius."

"And for you," Gwaine added quietly.

Gwaine's quiet affirmation of friendship gave Elyan a pause. It meant a lot to him to have this support when he still felt shame for having told Morgana where Arthur and Merlin were going. But since they were men, he couldn't really show it, so instead he said: "That's only because you know that if you let anything happen to his brother, Gwen would come after you and clobber you silly."

"That wouldn't take much," Leon observed.

"Where is the lovely Gwen this morning anyway?" Gwaine suddenly wondered. "She set up this infirmary yesterday and organised the women, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of her today."

"She's around, don't worry," Leon stated with a big grin.

"Meaning?" Elyan demanded.

"Yes, where is Gwen?" Isolde, too, wanted to know.

"I'm sure she will come here to check on her brother when she is ready," Leon just kept on grinning.

"That is getting a bit annoying," Tristan frowned. "What say you two? Shall we just take him outside and beat it out of him?"

"Tristan!" Isolde admonished him. "How about just asking nicely?"

"I thought we had," Gwaine pointed out.

"Come on, Leon," Elyan asked seriously. "I need to know she is good. I know Arthur has accepted and seems to appreciate her help and support but it can't be easy for them to be around each other."

"Fine, I will tell you," Leon smiled from ear to ear. "Besides, I don't think I could keep it to myself any longer anyway. Gwen set out to start the cleaning this morning and she must have been doing that in Arthur's rooms when he went there. I just walked past his door and as it was open I was able to see them there together."

"Were they arguing?" Gwaine asked.

"No, not even close," Leon said. "They were kissing."

"Really?" Elyan started to smile, too.

"Yes," Leon confirmed. "And I think she was wearing her ring again."

"You're sure?" Elyan wanted to know.

"Pretty sure," Leon answered. "But they are definitely back together and she's staying. He was holding on to her for dear life."

"I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand?" Isolde was confused. "I know Gwen loves him, and did rather suspect that Arthur wasn't indifferent to her either, but you said 'back' together."

"Right, you were unconscious last night," Tristan remembered. "You didn't hear the story."

"The story being?" Isolde turned questioning eyes to him.

"They were engaged to be married," Tristan told her. "But then something happened to break them up and Gwen was exiled."

"Exiled?" Isolde wondered. "It must have been pretty serious."

"She could have been executed," Leon agreed grimly. "Fortunately Arthur isn't like his father."

"Agravaine was all for execution," Gwaine remembered. "But he was a traitor anyway. Do you think he had something to do with the whole debacle?"

"I'm sure he was ready and willing to out them, but there is no way Lancelot would have been in cahoots with him," Leon surmised. "Not after he risked death for Arthur and Camelot."

"Risked death how?" Isolde asked. "And who is this Lancelot?"

"Once Lancelot was one of our best: brave, loyal, fearless," Leon sighed. "You remember the time of the Dorocha?"

"Yes," Tristan nodded grimly. "We too lost people to them."

"Gaius figured out that the veil between this world and the spirit world had been torn," Elyan explained. "He also figured out how to repair it."

"Not that he told everyone," Gwaine griped. "Just the princess. And Merlin of course."

"So Arthur got us together, me, Gwaine, Elyan, Percival and Lancelot," Leon continued the story. "And Merlin came with us as well. He always does. Anyway, he must have told Lancelot that to close the veil it would take a blood sacrifice and that Arthur intended to walk through the veil. When we got to the Isle of the Blessed we were attacked by wyvern so only Gwaine, Merlin and Lancelot got to the veil with Arthur."

"We met this odd woman there," Gwaine took over. "And I got angry at her and tried to attack. I got knocked unconscious without too much effort on her part. When I came to, I found that Lancelot had knocked Arthur out and while Merlin was busy checking that Arthur was not seriously hurt, he had walked through the veil. It closed and the dorocha were gone. Everything was restored to normal. Except we had lost a brother in arms and a friend."

"It is always hard to lose a friend," Tristan agreed.

"Gwen was devastated," Elyan said. "She blamed herself because she had asked Lancelot to make sure Arthur would come back to her. She knew he would do anything for her."

"She must have felt awful!" Isolde understood. "She can't have known what was planned."

"None of us did," Leon verified. "But she knows Arthur and he does tend to risk himself for Camelot."

"And Lancelot sacrificed himself for her, for Camelot and for Arthur?" Tristan asked.

"And probably for Merlin as well," Gwaine added. "I'm not at all sure Merlin didn't intend to take Arthur's place, Lance just beat him to it."

"But if he is dead, how did he get Gwen exiled?" Isolde wondered.

"He came back," Elyan stated.

"Back?" Tristan stared at him. "You don't come back from the spirit world. It just isn't possible."

"Nevertheless, he did," Leon insisted. "Gwen and Arthur were engaged and Arthur threw a three day tournament in Gwen's honour. On the second day, Lancelot rode back. You have no idea how happy and relieved we were!"

"That is until he was found with Gwen, willingly, in his arms and kissing like there was no tomorrow," Elyan ground out angrily. "And that was the night before the wedding."

"That doesn't sound like a man who is willing to sacrifice his life for the happiness of the woman he loves," Tristan said with conviction.

"Nor a woman who is just about to marry the man of her dreams," Isolde stated firmly.

"They were seen," Gwaine shrugged. "By Arthur. Neither of them tried to deny it, neither had an explanation for it. Agravaine was all for executions all around but Arthur didn't want that. Gwen was exiled and I don't know what would have happened to Lancelot, but he killed himself."

"I find this story very unlikely," Isolde shook her head. "There is no way he survived going through the veil; but if he did, how could he have changed so much? "

"Agravaine was conspiring with Morgana," Leon pondered. "Could they have enchanted Lance?"

"Are you sure it was Lancelot?" Tristan asked suddenly.

"We were," Gwaine mused. "But come to think of it, Merlin did act a bit funny around him the next morning."

"Could he have been a shade?" Tristan wondered.

"A shade?" Elyan shuddered. He remembered some of his own encounter with a ghost.

"A shade is someone who has been brought back from the dead," Isolde explained. "It is basically only a shell of the person he or she used to be. It is also completely under the control of the person who caused it to return. Unfortunately there is no way to prove if someone is a shade."

"That would make sense, though," Leon accepted. "If Lancelot was just his shell and controlled by Morgana, then his actions would make sense."

"But what about Gwen?" Elyan worried. "Was she enchanted? Do these shades have magic?"

"Not that I have ever heard," Isolde had to admit.

"But he wouldn't necessarily need magic," Gwaine inserted. "He was a handsome fellow, personable and there used to be something between him and Gwen. It was long before there was anything between Arthur and Gwen, but still they did like each other and Gwen trusted him. Gwen was feeling guilty for what she had asked him to do and also because she would never be able to give him the reward he really wanted. She was also relieved that he had not died and amazed over it as well. If Lancelot wasn't Lancelot but an unscrupulous shade under Morgana's control he could well have worked those feelings to momentarily confuse her into behaving out of character just long enough to stage the scene Arthur saw."

"I still feel that there is something missing in that explanation," Isolde frowned. "But even so I find it more plausible than Gwen just leading him or Arthur along. Or her playing fast and loose with them. She practically lives and breathes Arthur."

"It sure looked like it the last I saw them," Leon remembered. "And it also looked like he felt the same way about her."

"He sure pined enough for her," Gwaine pointed out.

"And turned down Princess Mithian!" Leon reminded them. "Not something you do lightly."

"But you're sure they are together now, and happy?" Elyan still needed some reassuring.

"You can go ask her yourself," Leon said looking towards the door of the hall. "She just walked in. Or maybe you should describe that as floating. She sure seems pleased with herself and the world."

The news of the renewed engagement spread through the castle – and beyond – like wild fire. Everyone seemed happy with the news and were more than willing to work hard to get the castle ready for a wedding and a coronation. Everyone felt that this was a new beginning and after the horrible time with Morgana they were ready to celebrate. If Gwen had feared that her indiscretion – for she couldn't call it anything else, even if she couldn't understand how it had come about – would follow her and make people think she was unworthy of Arthur and the crown of a queen, she found that that was not the case. Everyone was genuinely happy for them and forgiving; there seemed to be a consensus that the incident had been a bad case of cold feet at becoming a queen combined with surprise at Lancelot's return and gratitude for what he had done for Arthur and Camelot mixed with some nostalgia for old feelings. Also a rumour about Lancelot not having been Lancelot was making rounds.

That evening Tristan and Isolde were having supper with Merlin and Gaius – they were staying with them for now as well, in Merlin's room. Arthur had invited them to eat with him and Gwen and the knights, but they had declined. As indeed had all the knights, so Arthur and Gwen were to eat alone while the knights had gone to a tavern (Gwaine's idea, naturally – he said that the taverns, too, needed support after Morgana's reign) and Tristan and Isolde were enjoying the company of Merlin and Gaius.

"Is it possible that Lancelot was a shade?" Isolde asked Gaius – Gwen and Arthur being the obvious topics for conversation.

"I'm sure he was," Gaius stated surprising both Tristan and Isolde.

"But there is no way to prove it, is there?" Tristan asked.

"Certainly not now," Gaius agreed. "And even then it would have taken magic, and you know how Camelot is about magic."

"But we are still sure," Merlin said.

"How can you be sure?" Isolde asked.

"The Lancelot who came back, didn't know some things that the real Lancelot would never have forgotten," Merlin stated. "I got suspicious and studied some of Gaius's books. There was no other answer. It fit."

"And we knew that Morgana is powerful enough to do it," Gaius added. "And more than willing, given that she had tried to destroy Gwen before."

"How had she done that?" Isolde wondered. "And why?"

"Why? Because Arthur was all set to make Gwen his queen and Morgana can't stand the idea of her ex-servant becoming the queen that she herself wants to be," Gaius sighed.

"As for how," Merlin explained. "She tried to get Gwen convicted of sorcery. This was before she tried to take over Camelot the first time and Uther and Arthur still trusted her."

"She made it look like Gwen had enchanted Arthur and Uther, naturally, condemned her to death," Gaius sounded grim even now. "It wasn't easy to get them out of that predicament; Uther was relentless against anything to do with magic."

"Then how did you convince him that Gwen was innocent?" Isolde wondered.

"We got ourselves a different culprit who confessed to it all," Merlin threw in from the fireplace where he had been stoking the fire. As he turned to return to the table he found that Tristan was staring at him with a dawning understanding.

"It was you!" Tristan exclaimed causing both Merlin and Gaius to tense in trepidation.

"Tristan!" Isolde said. "Do you really think that if Merlin had confessed to sorcery, Uther would have pardoned him?"

"Sorry, no, that was not what I meant," Tristan shook his head. "I'm sorry, I wasn't making any sense. What I meant is that…Last night…"

"Out with it, Tristan," Isolde ordered. "After that you just have to tell me what happened last night and I doubt any of it will be a surprise for these two."

"Some of it might," Tristan suggested. "But you're right. I can't explain what I meant without telling you about last night. What I meant with it having been you, Merlin, was that the old warlock reminded me of someone and I couldn't figure out who. Until now. He reminded me of you. There is a resemblance both in build and in the way you move that can't be a coincidence. He's your grandfather isn't he? Or possibly even great-grandfather."

"Oh no, no," Merlin stammered trying to think what to say.

"He has no children," Gaius came to the rescue. "But you were right to pick on the resemblance. He is family."

"Your family?" Isolde was a little confused.

"Merlin's mother is my sister-in-law," Gaius clarified. "It's through her that I know the warlock."

"But you never call him uncle?" Tristan asked Merlin.

"No," Merlin confirmed. "We thought it best not to advertise the fact that we are actually related. He is my mentor and teacher so everyone knows we are close, but if we start explaining about family, we may end up needing to explain more than we want. If we suddenly refuse to tell more that will look suspicious and lies are not really an option because Arthur says I couldn't lie if my life depended on it."

"I suspect that when it is somebody else's life, you can lie like a rug," Isolde smiled. "But I know what you mean. That is why Tristan and I don't talk about our past."

"We are fine with that," Merlin said. "But if you want to tell us anything, that's fine too."

"We'll think about it," Isolde said. "But before we talk about anything else, I want to know about last night."

"Go on," Gaius encouraged Tristan. "If I know anything about women, and by my age I do know some, she is not going to let go until she has her answers."

"Very well then," Tristan sighed. "You already know that we went outside of the city to get you healed. And you know how we got back. The part I pretended to have forgotten was that it was an old warlock who helped us."

"The man you assumed to be Merlin's grandfather?" Isolde queried.

"At first I assumed he was Gaius," Tristan smiled. "But once we got to the glade and he lit the fire with a flash from his eyes I knew he wasn't. He's an old man with long white hair and long white beard. He looks frail and a little bad tempered but basically harmless. No danger to anyone, you'd think."

"You would be wrong," Gaius muttered.

"So I found out," Tristan told. "I pulled my sword on him and he flattened me with a flick from his fingers."

"Why did you try to kill him if he was trying to help me?" Isolde admonished him.

"You know I'm not that good with strangers," Tristan reminded her. "Anyway, I got over it and he still was going to get you healed but we had to wait for the right time. So made ourselves comfortable and that is when I started to think there was something familiar about him. Just couldn't figure out what."

"What were you waiting for?" Isolde wondered.

"Yes, that," Tristan looked at Gaius and Merlin like he was asking something.

"Go on," Merlin told him. "As long as Arthur doesn't hear it, I'm fine. I mean, I could have been mistaken about Kilgarrah but there is no way to explain Aithusa without admitting that I lied."

"Kilgarrah? Aithusa?" Isolde repeated.

"The dragons," Tristan stated.

Isolde just stared at him almost forgetting to blink.

"I know," Tristan reassured her. "Can you imagine my reaction when I saw them."

"I'm still trying to imagine my own reaction right now," Isolde responded. "Dragons?"

"Yes, dragons," Gaius thought it was better to support Tristan's story. "Kilgarrah is a full grown dragon who has been around for a very long time. Aithusa is still a baby, he was hatched only a few months ago. The egg was supposed to be destroyed but Merlin saved it. And had to lie to Arthur about it – just like he lied about Kilgarrah's demise."

"Right," Isolde was still stunned. "But why dragons?"

"The warlock said that he couldn't heal you because you were too close to death," Tristan explained. "He called the dragons to help."

"A dragon's breath can heal anything," Merlin told her. "It was your only chance."

"A dragon breathed on me?" Isolde asked.

"Yes, the young one did," Tristan confirmed. "And you were healed in just a few heartbeats."

"Why don't I know any of this?" Isolde wanted to know. "If I was healed, didn't I wake up?"

"The spell that had been used to keep you alive would affected you still," Gaius said. "It must have taken you awhile to wake up properly."

"The warlock left us as soon as you showed signs of waking up and the rest you know," Tristan concluded.

"He must be a dragon lord if he can call dragons like that," Isolde realised.

"Yes," Merlin affirmed. "The last of his kind."

"And he is totally loyal to Camelot," Tristan marvelled. "Even after all that Uther did to his kind and all those who have magic."

"He is loyal to Arthur," Merlin corrected. "And because of him, also to Camelot."

"I suppose it is only natural," Isolde mused. "Since his family's loyalties lie with Arthur, too. You must all have a lot of faith in the King."

"We do," Gaius nodded. "He will be a good king."

"So this dragonlord-warlock was the one who took the blame for the sorcery that Gwen was accused of," Isolde suddenly remembered where the conversation had started.

"Yes he did," Gaius pronounced. "Though why anyone thought those two were under any kind of spell I don't know. They had been smelling like April and May for almost a year already."

"So why did Morgana use a spell on them?" Tristan asked.

"She didn't," Merlin corrected. "She just faked some evidence for Uther to find."

"And that is when your great-uncle, or whatever he is, pretended to be the culprit and saved the day," Isolde reflected. "But surely he needed to be caught?"

"He was," Gaius admitted. "But he escaped. Rather spectacularly actually. He was being taken to the pyre when it suddenly burst into flames and he used the confusion to make his disappearance. It was the talk of the town for weeks."

"I must say," Tristan laughed. "That it really seems like there is never a dull moment in Camelot."

"Does it sound interesting enough for you to want to stay?" Merlin ventured. "We don't care about what is in the past, just the future. And you can find new family for yourself here. After you helped us the way you did, you will be welcomed by everyone. Think about it."

Tristan and Isolde exchanged a long look. "We're definitely considering it," Tristan said.

"Definitely," Isolde supported.


	5. Chapter 5

**Warlock suspected**

Two days they had cleaned the castle and finally all the rooms were free of the debris and everything – that hadn't been broken – was back in place. Tristan had been working with the knights, and the king, doing the heavy lifting especially in the town where many of the men were injured or dead after the two battles. Gaius was looking after the injured, Merlin was running around doing everything and taking messages, the king's council was doing inventory of everything that needed to be replaced and what provisions needed to be restocked for both the castle and the town. They had dreaded the worst when they saw the burned fields but fortunately Agravaine had had time to get only to the closest farms before Morgana pulled him from that duty to hunting Arthur. Farms and fields further away had survived and the crop promised to be good in all of the five kingdoms so it was likely that what Camelot couldn't harvest from her own fields she could buy from neighbours – at least the friendly ones.

Isolde had been helping Gwen with the cleaning, but also with sowing and mending. The most important item they needed to sow was Gwen's dress for the wedding and the coronation. Of course they also had the help of the best seamstresses in Camelot, but there was a lot of discussion on the colour and design. It had been a very long time since Isolde had indulged in 'girly' things and she was enjoying herself immensely. But she did know herself well enough to know, that a steady diet of just gossip, pretty dresses and household duties would drive her crazy – as indeed it nearly had when she had still lived with her parents. Now Isolde was helping Gwen out of her wedding dress after the first fitting. It was a difficult job because there were pins and needles all over the dress marking the places where it needed to be taken in or let out or up or down or whatever else it was the head seamstress wanted to do. Isolde certainly had lost track of it all, she just helped Gwen out of it as best she could and then pushed it at the seamstress while pushing her – and the dress – out of the room!

"Phew!" Isolde sighed. "I'm glad that is over. It's a good thing you won't get married more than once."

"I'm afraid that won't mean that I won't have to go through this again," Gwen observed. "If I'm going to be the queen of Camelot, I will need a lot of formal gowns for all the feasts and formal occasions."

"If?" Isolde smiled. "I think it is definite now. And you're right. This was only the first of many. So you might want to start thinking about that maid Arthur has been telling you to hire."

"I wouldn't know what to do with a maid," Gwen moaned. "Couldn't I just ask someone to help me those times I need it?"

"The thing is that as the queen you will need the help all the time," Isolde reminded Gwen gently. "You can't be late for dinner to mend a tear on your blouse because nobody can eat before you're there. You can't be late to greet guests just because your skirt needed ironing because that would reflect badly on Arthur. You need someone else to take care of your wardrobe and you will need help getting into most of your dresses because people just expect to see you look like a queen. You know this; after all you were the maid for a King's ward long enough. You just need to think yourself into her position – just socially, of course, don't even think of being like her in any other way!"

"She wasn't always … She used to be my friend, a lot like Merlin is with Arthur," Gwen sighed.

"Arthur seemed to be wondering the same," Isolde remembered. "Who knows what happened to Morgana to change her, or if she even really changed. The people seem to think it was her magic that corrupted her, but I don't believe that magic can corrupt anything that isn't corruptible to start with. My family has good relations with the Druids of Ireland and we've seen other people with magic as well. As far as I can tell, it's the person who decides what the magic will do to him or her, not the other way around. But possibly it doesn't matter anymore, what it was that changed Morgana. She may well be dead by now."

"She has survived before," Gwen doubted. "So we better not count on that. But I do wish she were dead."

"Yes, that would make life simpler," Isolde agreed.

"And Arthur won't need to kill her," Gwen worried. "If she is alive she will not relent in her pursuit of the Crown and eventually they will have a final meeting. They can't both come out of it alive. I don't know how Arthur would react to having to kill his sister. I'm so happy Agravaine died in battle – or whatever it was that killed him. Arthur would have hated sentencing his mother's brother to death."

"Yes, he doesn't seem to be very vindictive," Isolde pondered. "Even when someone has betrayed him as badly as Agravaine did. That is a good quality in a king, though."

"I have reason to be glad of that," Gwen remarked.

"Are you sure you weren't under an enchantment or something?" Isolde asked.

"Pretty sure," Gwen said. "We've seen enchantments at work. Even if nobody else would have noticed my strange behaviour Merlin and Gaius would. They were the ones who realised what was going on with Lady Vivienne and they warned Arthur about the troll long before the potion had stopped working."

"Lady Vivienne?" Isolde wanted to know more. "A troll?"

"Lady Vivienne is King Olaf's daughter," Gwen explained. "Somebody wanted to start a war between Camelot and him so they enchanted Arthur and Lady Vivienne so that Arthur actually climbed the wall up to her window and entered her bedroom while she and her father were guests here. Even Uther realised that something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do anymore: king Olaf was livid and insisted on a duel to death."

"That would definitely have caused a war," Isolde noted. "So how did it end?"

"Merlin and Gaius figured out that the only cure for the enchantment was a kiss from his true love," Gwen smiled. "So I kissed him and once Arthur was no longer distracted by his infatuation he won the duel, decided not to kill king Olaf and the peace talks resumed. By the way, that is one reason why I know I wasn't enchanted: had I been then Arthur's kiss would have broken it."

"I see," Isolde still wasn't sure that that was definite sign, but she hadn't had much to do with enchantments. "And what about the troll then?"

"Yes, that," Gwen looked a bit pained. "A troll decided that she wanted Camelot's wealth and power so she disguised herself as a beautiful lady and she used magic to enchant Uther. Merlin figured it out before the rest of us did, and he warned Arthur who wouldn't listen. Once Uther had married her and she was crowned as his successor she either stopped taking the potion or it stopped working but whatever the reason she reverted to her true form and everyone could see what she was. Everyone but Uther. He still thought she was the loveliest woman in five kingdoms."

"Really?" Isolde found that difficult. "How did you break that enchantment? I mean, if the magic was that strong."

"The only way to break it was to make Uther cry," Gwen explained. "And Gaius didn't think anything else but Arthur's death could make that happen, so Arthur drunk poison. Once the enchantment was broken, Merlin quickly administered the antidote and Arthur came back in time to kill the troll."

"Good thing Merlin is reliable," Isolde noted. Then she paused for a thought. "And how long was Uther married to this troll? I mean surely Uther didn't marry her, disinherit Arthur and crown her in just one day?"

"No, it took a few days," Gwen was biting her lip to stop from laughing. "And nights."

"Yes, the nights especially must have been interesting," Isolde nodded. She made the mistake of catching Gwen's eye and they burst out laughing.

"It wasn't funny at the time," Gwen gasped out once she was able to though she was still holding her sides. "And I really shouldn't laugh about it now that he's dead, but …"

"How could one not!" Isolde concluded. "But fine, I believe Camelot has seen enough enchantments to get suspicious over the obvious ones. I still think there may have been some magic involved with what happened to you, given that Agravaine was working for Morgana, but at least you and Arthur got back together and will marry and be happy."

"Yes we will, and I will be worthy of him," Gwen vowed.

"You already are," Arthur told her from the door as he stepped in and caught the very end of their conversation. "Never doubt that."

"I think you need to keep reminding her of that," Isolde informed him.

"I will," Arthur promised as he wrapped his arms around Gwen. "But there was something I wanted to ask you, Isolde."

"Ask away," Isolde invited.

"I think Tristan remembers everything that happened the night you were healed," Arthur got straight to the point. "And I believe you know more about it, too. I want to know why you won't tell me what happened? Don't you trust me? Do you fear I would punish anyone who helped you the way you were helped? What is the reason I'm lied to?"

Isolde didn't reply immediately. Arthur didn't sound angry or resentful. He just wanted to know. Maybe there was some hurt in his question as well, but mostly he just wanted to know. He wasn't even asking what it was that had happened, he just wanted to know what compelled them to lie to him – as there really was no two ways about it; they were lying to him.

"It's not you," Isolde finally stated. "Not Arthur the man, I mean. But you are the king. You are the law of this land. You make the laws, you uphold them, you revoke them, you apply them, you show mercy if you so choose or you have none if it is your will. But the one thing a just king can't do is to break his own laws. All of us who trust you, but still lie to you do it because the king can't know and not act."

"But what if knowing makes me change the laws?" Arthur asked.

"But would the change be because you really believed the law needed to be changed, and changing it is for the good of Camelot," Isolde countered. "Or would it be changed only so that you wouldn't need to punish your friends? And even if it was for the best to change the law, would you be sure that was why you did it?"

"So you think that my friends lie to me to protect my integrity as the king?" Arthur deliberated.

"Yes," Isolde insisted. "All those, who know what happened that night, are completely loyal to you and Camelot." She paused for a moment to make sure Arthur heard her right and then said with great emphasis: "All of them."

Arthur seemed to hear her and think it over. Seemingly out of context he queried: "What was the orb of light like? Did you see it?"

"I slept most of the time," Isolde tried to recall. "But yes, I did see it. It made me feel safe."

"Yes, I know," Arthur reflected.

"You've seen it?" Isolde was surprised.

"Once," Arthur nodded. "I was trying to find a Morteus flower and got into some trouble in a dark cave full of man eating spiders. At least I assume they were man eating spiders, fortunately I didn't need to find out though they sure were determined to get to me. Thank you Isolde, for your honesty. I need to do some thinking." He kissed Gwen quickly and left the room.

"Thank you," Gwen said to Isolde. "I'm glad you could explain the situation to him so clearly. After Agravaine and Morgana and all their lies he finds it difficult to know who to trust sometimes. Or maybe it is himself that he doubts; his ability to recognise true loyalty."

"He shouldn't find it so difficult," Isolde replied. "He has excellent examples of loyalty right with him all the time in you and Merlin and Gaius."

"And his knights," Gwen added. "Which reminds me: I better go and feed them. They need to keep their strength up for all the work. And Gwaine and Elyan are still feeling the effects of their incarceration."

"Hunger doesn't suit Tristan either," Isolde smiled. "Lead the way. I'll help you carry the food."

Laughing and talking the two ladies made their way to the kitchen where the cook and her minions were preparing all kinds of luncheons. Baskets, bundles, trays and just loafs of bread with some cheese and fruit were taken out of the kitchen by servants to feed the hungry men and women who were working all over the castle and the town. Gwen and Isolde took two baskets all ready to go and went in search of the knights. They found Leon, Percival, Gwaine, Elyan and Tristan at the stables where they were currently unloading carts that had brought supplies for the horses. The men were happy to see them and especially the food they were bringing.

"Fair ladies," Gwaine greeted them elaborately. "You are a feast to my hungry eyes and dew to my parched soul."

"Pay no attention to him," Gwen advised Isolde. "He is harmless, just all talk."

"Lovely Guinevere," Gwaine clutched his chest. "You wound me, you truly wound me."

"Really?" Gwen smiled. "Then why are all your stories about your drinking and fighting? And only about those?"

"I would never sully the ears of such a lady as you, and the lovely Isolde," Gwaine bowed to Isolde as well. "With stories of debauchery."

"I thought debauchery included drinking and fighting?" Isolde stage whispered to Gwen.

"It does," Gwen replied in kind. "And I will never believe that if Gwaine kissed he wouldn't tell."

"The ladies have got your number, my boy," Leon laughed at Gwaine who took all in good cheer.

The food was distributed with laughs and good natured jostling. They found seats on barrels and boxes and settled down to enjoy a moment of rest and friendship. Gwen sat next to Elyan and Isolde settled down with Tristan's arm around her. Tristan insisted that he only needed one hand to eat.

"Where's Arthur?" Tristan asked Gwen with a teasing smile. "I was under the impression that he didn't like letting you out of his sight these days."

"He had his duties," Gwen informed him. "He doesn't have time to live in my pocket."

"But he did check on her just before we got the food," Isolde smiled.

"It was you he wanted to see," Gwen corrected.

"No," Isolde insisted. "He had a question for me that he wanted to ask whenever he might have the chance, but it was you he wanted to see. I just happened to conveniently be there."

"What did he want from you?" Tristan wondered.

"We can talk about that later," Isolde told him. "It wasn't anything urgent. But how have you been entertaining each other while working? Lots of bragging or has Gwaine dominated the conversation with his drinking stories?"

"He does talk a lot," Tristan laughed.

"Try being stuck in a small cell for a week with him," Elyan rolled his eyes.

"You all sure looked happy when I found you," Percival said.

"That might just have been because they didn't exactly enjoy Morgana's idea hospitality," Leon inserted dryly. "I sure didn't the last time she tried for the throne."

"But you had Gwen to break you out," Gwaine reminded him. "You didn't need to sit there and wait for the princess to come and rescue you."

"Hey!" Percival protested.

"You know I didn't mean you," Gwaine corrected. "Though you took your time too."

"Should have left you there," Percival shrugged.

"Boys!" Gwen warned them. "Behave. I don't want Isolde to think Camelot isn't a friendly place. I'm still trying to convince her to stay."

"What about me!" Tristan pretended to be offended.

"I don't care," Gwen dismissed him with a smile. "I have more than enough men at my beck and call. I need a girl friend."

"I'm not staying if he isn't," Isolde reminded her. "So somebody has to convince him, too, that staying is a good idea."

"You're staying with Gaius and Merlin," Elyan said. "If those two can't convince you, then nobody can. Especially Merlin."

"Yes. Our good luck charm has a way with words when he wants to," Gwaine nodded. "He sure got me change my mind about Arthur and Camelot."

"Good luck charm?" Tristan wondered.

"For some reason whenever Merlin is with us, things turn out all right," Elyan explained.

"Don't really know how," Leon stated. "But somehow that's how it goes. If we have Merlin with us, we get out of anything. And Merlin himself can survive anything."

"So true!" Gwen exclaimed. "He has drunk poison, risked quite a few battles – one even with a dragon, he took a dorocha for Arthur and who remembers what else. And he never seems to be the worse for wear."

"So that's why we think of him as our lucky charm," Gwaine concluded. "As well as a good friend."

"And good cook," Percival added.

"Though last time we got sick from his cooking," Elyan remembered.

"Not from his stew," Leon contended. "It was the sleeping draught that thief laced it with."

"And again we were lucky it wasn't poison," Gwaine pointed out.

"So luck follows you when Merlin does," Isolde repeated slowly.

"Has from the start," Leon said. "He had hardly arrived at Camelot when he saved Arthur's life. There was this old witch who had disguised herself as a young woman and tried to kill Arthur by throwing a knife at him. Merlin was the only one who reacted fast enough and he managed to push Arthur out of the way."

"Also that time those two thugs had altered their appearance with those magic stones, and came to Camelot to kill Arthur in the tournament," Gwaine recollected. "Merlin was the one who found out that their dulled swords were actually sharp. Without Merlin nobody would have been the wiser."

"But you were the one who saved the day that time," Leon pointed out. "You entered the tournament and fought on his side."

"Is that when you were knighted?" Tristan asked.

"No," Gwaine laughed. "That time I was just exiled. Uther was still the king then. No, we – Elyan, Percival, Lancelot and me – were all knighted just before we took Camelot back from the immortal army."

"How did you do that!" Isolde marvelled.

"With Merlin and Lancelot," Elyan revealed. "They were supposed to disable the alarm bell, but instead they found themselves in the room where the Cup of Life was. See, the immortal army was immortal because the Morgana's sister Morgause had filled the Cup of Life with their blood. As long as the blood was in the cup, the men could not be killed. Merlin and Lance found the cup and managed to empty it. However the magic of the cup was so strong that it made the castle shake and the roof of that room fell. Morgana and Morgause had also been drawn to that room when they felt the cup was being tampered with and they were still in there when Merlin and Lance got out. We don't know how they got out but they did. Though Morgause was mortally injured."

"That is amazing," Isolde stated slowly.

"What are you thinking?" Tristan asked her.

"Nothing, really," Isolde smiled at him. "Just that it we could have used a "Merlin" a few times ourselves."

The knights had almost finished eating so they wrapped up the conversation and got back to work while the ladies took the baskets back to the kitchen. Once they left the kitchen Gwen went to the great hall to check up on the patients and Isolde went back to the court physicians chambers where she found Gaius cooking up some potion or another.

"You know Gaius," Isolde said after they had exchanges hellos. "I've been hearing a lot of stories about today. Very interesting stories. About how people can look all different from their usual selves. They can look like someone else or older or younger than they truly do."

"There are indeed all kinds of spell and magic object that can affect one's appearance," Gaius affirmed cautiously.

"Yes, I expect there are," Isolde mused. "Aging spells, too."

"Oh no," Gaius said firmly. "Nobody in their right mind would use aging spells. They are notoriously difficult and any number of things can go wrong with them."

"They can't be that bad," Isolde doubted.

"Yes they can," Gaius insisted. "You can't be sure that you get to the age you want, you can't be sure you can reverse the spell, you can't even be sure you get back to your original age and don't accidentally turn yourself into an infant. Besides, who wants to be older? Most people who want to tamper with their age want to be younger, not older. Trust me, young lady, old age is no fun."

"But couldn't the age – old or young – be just an illusion too?" Isolde persisted.

"Where are you going with these questions, my dear?" Gaius turned his full attention on Isolde.

"It was Merlin, wasn't it," Isolde didn't really make it a question. "He disguised himself as the Old Warlock and healed me. And he has been working for Arthur and Camelot for years."

"What makes you think that?" Gaius asked.

"The knights said that they are always lucky when Merlin is with them," Isolde explained. "I've also heard that Merlin goes wherever Arthur goes, even when he tells him to stay behind. And Arthur said that he, too, has seen the blue orb of light."

"When did he see that?" Gaius wanted to know.

"He was looking for a Morteus flower, I think he said," Isolde replied.

"He didn't say why he was looking for it?" Gaius questioned further.

"No, come to think of it, he didn't." Isolde realised.

"So what would it do to your theory of Merlin being the old warlock," Gaius ventured. "If I told you that Arthur wanted the flower to create an antidote for the poison that was killing Merlin? When he was in the caves getting the flower, Merlin was here, in this room, dying and unconscious. You can ask Gwen, if you don't believe me. She was helping me keep Merlin alive for as long as possible to give Arthur time to come back with the flower."

"Oh," Isolde realised she had to rethink her theory. "It seems that Merlin couldn't have helped Arthur there and then."

"It most definitely seems to be the case," Gaius confirmed.

"But surely Merlin does have some magic," Isolde wasn't willing to completely let go of her idea. "How could he not with such powerful magic in his family."

"I'm sure there are many people in Camelot who have magic, but nobody knows it," Gaius mused. "Of course, if you know that there has been magic in your family, you may suspect that you have it too, but since trying is illegal in Camelot, you can't know for sure."

"But Merlin didn't grow up in Camelot," Isolde pointed out. "He could know."

"I'm sure I couldn't tell if that is the case," Gaius stated.

"In other words, if I want to know I have to ask Merlin," Isolde accepted.

"Will you?" Gaius was curious.

"Since he apparently isn't the warlock who saved me, I don't think I will," Isolde sighed. "I really have no reason."

"Yes, probably not," Gaius agreed turning back to his potions. "Would you get that basket over there and take it to the great hall. Gwen knows what to do with the potions in there. And tell her that I'm almost ready with the drug for Elyan and she can pick it up whenever she wants."

"I will," Isolde agreed. "And thank you Gaius. I'm, well not glad that my theory was wrong, but it's better to know it. I might have said something to Merlin and cause him anxiety. It can't be easy to live with all the anti-magic laws you have here in Camelot."

"We get by," Gaius smiled. "One does learn a thing or two in twenty years."

Isolde shot him a suspicious glance but decided not to say anything. She got the basket and left to take it to Gwen.

Couple of days later was time for the wedding and Gwen's coronation. It was a grand occasion and Isolde was wearing a dress fit for her former station. Tristan was looking at her with special admiration and Isolde decided that she might wear dresses a bit more often when possible. Tristan, too, was dressed like a prince. But Gwen and Arthur outshone them without too much effort. Isolde thought the ceremonies were beautiful and grand and she could feel the hope for the future of Camelot fill the room and all the people in it. She and Tristan exchanged a long look during the coronation and they made up their minds without a word.

The days celebrations culminated on a celebration dinner. The food wasn't quite as elaborate as it would have been had there been more time to prepare, but the kitchen staff had done themselves proud. Though everyone would have been happy with even lesser fare; the cause for the celebration was enough to make everyone smile. Tristan and Isolde didn't sit near the happy couple but once the meal was over and people were mingling Arthur and his new Queen Guinevere came to talk with them.

"Congratulations," Tristan told the newlyweds. "May you live happy and healthy for a very long time."

"Thank you," Arthur responded. "We will definitely do our best."

"See, it wasn't that bad," Isolde told Gwen. "You were perfect."

"If you say so," Gwen sighed. "I'm not sure I remember anything about today. Except Arthur."

"Then you remember everything important," Arthur teased her.

"And what do you remember?" Tristan asked.

"My beautiful Guinevere," Arthur stated lifting Gwen's hand to his lips.

"This is getting a bit too sweet for me," Tristan complained.

"This from a man who took the time to pick me flowers the night before a battle," Isolde reminded him.

"That was different," Tristan muttered.

"No it wasn't," Gwen agreed with Isolde. "And we are grateful for your help and support."

"Indeed," Arthur verified. "It was an honour to fight with you and I was very relieved that you didn't have to pay the ultimate price for your support. And I would like to know if we can persuade you to stay with us. I can always use a knight with your skills Tristan, and Guinevere needs a good friend to help and support her in her new role."

Isolde looked at Tristan and nodded. Tristan smiled: "We have decided to stay. I'd be honoured to be one of the Knights of Camelot."

"And I will be happy to be the friend of the Queen of Camelot," Isolde added. "Though I would prefer to be your personal guard rather than a lady in waiting."

"Arthur?" Gwen appealed to her husband.

"I have seen you fight, lady Isolde," Arthur said. "You are definitely qualified to guard my queen."

"It is settled then," Tristan confirmed. "We are staying."

"We need to find you a house of your own then," Gwen smiled happily. "Close to the castle, of course. But you will want a place of your own."

"Don't worry Gwen," Arthur reassured her. "We will find a place for them." He turned to Tristan and Isolde holding out his hand: "Welcome sir Tristan of Camelot and lady Isolde of Camelot."

Tristan and Isolde clasped his hand in turn and sealed the agreement. They were staying.

The End

_Thank you for your reviews. There may be a sequel - at least a one-shot - to this one, but I'm still mulling it over so it may take some time._


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